The heavens tore open that night as a peasant girl labored in darkness. Music flooded the space between heaven and earth. A flaming, blazing ball of gas appeared from nowhere, pulsing, burning overhead, while magi watched, puzzled, in a distant country. Awestruck shepherds ran to find their Creator suckling, needy. And we, the citizens of … Continue reading While Mortals Sleep
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Hedgerows and Big Yellow Trucks
A hard rain was falling that afternoon, and I was eager to get home. After a long day of doctor appointments in the city for my son Ben, I loaded up the car with groceries and headed up the twisting road to our home in the mountains. Only a few miles up, however, a large … Continue reading Hedgerows and Big Yellow Trucks
The Missing Leaf
There is a leaf missing from my Thanksgiving table. Where once it seated eight or more, the old table is now reduced to a small square. I am hard-pressed to remember a Thanksgiving with so few place settings. I miss the days of a full home and table. Of four children, hungrily eyeing the rolls. … Continue reading The Missing Leaf
Ribbon Collecting
My son Ben loves competing for Special Olympics, and has a giant collection of medals and ribbons from various meets and tournaments. He participates in eight different sports, and every competition finds him swaggering home with something shiny. The medals and ribbons hang proudly from his bulletin board, the overflow crumpled in his desk drawers. … Continue reading Ribbon Collecting
Planted
A northern sun shines through my windshield, late rising over harvested fields as I head for home. Winter’s breath mercifully withdrew as we stood around Pam’s grave the day before, a small group of witnesses to her quiet life. “Dust to dust”, the pastor said before we parted ways, her ashes left in the dark … Continue reading Planted
Cooper’s Coat of Many Colors
He’s just a dog. A plain one. We adopted Cooper from a rescue organization last winter, and now he has claimed a place on our couch and in our hearts. He’s just a brown dog with a black muzzle - nothing fancy; not carefully bred. Nothing much to look at, until he’s lying next to … Continue reading Cooper’s Coat of Many Colors
The Door
This is the door of my father’s stories. This very door, pictured above, in an abandoned church in a tiny stone village in England. My family worshipped here 500 years ago, and probably long before that. Through this door my tenth great-grandfather walked one last time before leaving on an impossible journey to the distant … Continue reading The Door
Something to Eat
"Little girl I say to you, arise," Jesus spoke into death's stillness. Then, as life crept back in and she stirred and sighed, he turned to her parents. "Give her something to eat," he said. There would soon come a time when he would call Lazarus back to life before a stunned crowd, but this … Continue reading Something to Eat
A Wing and a Prayer
I walk down my driveway and a multitude of dragonflies lift and glide around me, silent and shining like the morning. I’m glad to see them, knowing that they feed on the plentiful Minnesota mosquitos. They fill the space around me, fluttering in the yard, resting on the patio, basking on the trees as they … Continue reading A Wing and a Prayer
Roe v. Wade was Overturned and I’m Sad
I have been involved in pro-life work for 36 years. Once I understood that abortion kills an innocent human life, I knew that I had to do something. Few issues have gripped my heart and my conscience as this one has. I have prayed, fasted and donated. I formed and helped lead a chapter of … Continue reading Roe v. Wade was Overturned and I’m Sad
A View of the Lake 